PAY DISPUTE - EMPLOYER AGREES TO PAY "ON ACCOUNT"
The employers and the NJC have agreed to UNISON's request that the 2008-9 pay offer will be paid "on account" pending the outcome of binding arbitration of the dispute via ACAS. This means an interim award of 2.45% will be paid before christmas - backdated to April 1st. Click here for more details.
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Thursday, 2 October 2008
NJC COMMITTEE AGREED THE WAY FORWARD ON PAY
UNISON’s NJC Committee met on 18 September to review progress in the
negotiations which have followed the two days of action in July over the pay award for 2008/09 and the joint statement with the LGA which followed them.
A number of important decisions were made at the meeting. They are explained in detail
below. The decisions were:
· Not to ask members to take any further industrial action in relation to this year’s pay
offer
· To refer this year’s pay offer to ACAS for binding arbitration.
· To approach this year’s pay offer, any review of the Green Book and pay for 2009/10 separately
· To submit a pay claim to the employers as soon as possible 2009/10
· To agree the Trade Union Side’s aims for any future review of the Green Book.
· To undertake an in-depth review within the NJC Committee of the negotiations and
events surrounding this year’s industrial action and to draw up plans to increase our
bargaining strength at local and national level.
· To hold meetings of the full Joint Trade Union Side of the NJC on 1 October and
3 November
Three Joint Secretaries’ meetings have been held since the July action. UNISON and UNITE have consistently pushed the employers to resolve the outstanding pay dispute and this was the first point included in the framework for the negotiations, which was agreed after the second meeting.
Unfortunately the employers claim that there is no pressure on them to increased their final offer of 2.45% and 3.3% for those on scale points 4,5and 6—either from individual local authorities, the
Local Government Association or the Government. The joint Trade Union Side of the NJC
Executive therefore met to take stock of this situation on 10 September and to consider the unions’ aims for any review of the Green Book which might take place in the future. The 2007/8 pay
settlement included such a review.
The Trade Union Side recognised that members need and deserve a pay increase as soon as possible. With no apparent prospect of an improved offer, there was therefore a unanimous decision by all three unions—including the GMB—to recommend to their respective national committees that the matter be referred to the Arbitration and Conciliation Service (ACAS) for binding arbitration. The national agreement—the Green Book— provides for either side of the NJC to do this and we believe that the employers will not stand in our way
NJC Committee's recommendations
The NJC Committee—UNISON’s lay committee—with representatives from each Region,
considered a lengthy report from the negotiators on 18 September and also looked in detail at the results of the consultation on members’ views over further industrial action, which it
requested at its last meeting. With few exceptions, branches responding said that members were not willing to take further action—either ‘all out’ or selective. The Committee therefore decided not to call for further action and to accept the recommendation of the Trade Union Side and seek binding arbitration.
UNISON’s NJC Committee met on 18 September to review progress in the
negotiations which have followed the two days of action in July over the pay award for 2008/09 and the joint statement with the LGA which followed them.
A number of important decisions were made at the meeting. They are explained in detail
below. The decisions were:
· Not to ask members to take any further industrial action in relation to this year’s pay
offer
· To refer this year’s pay offer to ACAS for binding arbitration.
· To approach this year’s pay offer, any review of the Green Book and pay for 2009/10 separately
· To submit a pay claim to the employers as soon as possible 2009/10
· To agree the Trade Union Side’s aims for any future review of the Green Book.
· To undertake an in-depth review within the NJC Committee of the negotiations and
events surrounding this year’s industrial action and to draw up plans to increase our
bargaining strength at local and national level.
· To hold meetings of the full Joint Trade Union Side of the NJC on 1 October and
3 November
Three Joint Secretaries’ meetings have been held since the July action. UNISON and UNITE have consistently pushed the employers to resolve the outstanding pay dispute and this was the first point included in the framework for the negotiations, which was agreed after the second meeting.
Unfortunately the employers claim that there is no pressure on them to increased their final offer of 2.45% and 3.3% for those on scale points 4,5and 6—either from individual local authorities, the
Local Government Association or the Government. The joint Trade Union Side of the NJC
Executive therefore met to take stock of this situation on 10 September and to consider the unions’ aims for any review of the Green Book which might take place in the future. The 2007/8 pay
settlement included such a review.
The Trade Union Side recognised that members need and deserve a pay increase as soon as possible. With no apparent prospect of an improved offer, there was therefore a unanimous decision by all three unions—including the GMB—to recommend to their respective national committees that the matter be referred to the Arbitration and Conciliation Service (ACAS) for binding arbitration. The national agreement—the Green Book— provides for either side of the NJC to do this and we believe that the employers will not stand in our way
NJC Committee's recommendations
The NJC Committee—UNISON’s lay committee—with representatives from each Region,
considered a lengthy report from the negotiators on 18 September and also looked in detail at the results of the consultation on members’ views over further industrial action, which it
requested at its last meeting. With few exceptions, branches responding said that members were not willing to take further action—either ‘all out’ or selective. The Committee therefore decided not to call for further action and to accept the recommendation of the Trade Union Side and seek binding arbitration.
TRANSFORMATION- IS YOUR JOB AT RISK?
The City Council has now issued UNISON with a HR1 form (formally a Section 188 Notice) under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
This notification gives official notice that the local authority intends to make up to 300 posts redundant by 31 December 2009.
The local authority has also informed UNISON that it will be January 2009 before they know exactly which posts will go, however, we are aware that the posts will be from the 1700 employees currently working in customer services, finance, human
resources, information technology and procurement.
The first proposed compulsory redundancies will not take place before 1 April 2009.
The job losses are a direct consequence of the partnership for customer efficiency
services (PaCES) and the introduction of new systems by the City Council’s partner Axon.
The City Council believes the partnership will save £60 million over the next ten years, however, it has now become apparent that more money than first realised has to be put into the partnership by the council at an earlier stage, putting further strain on the council’s finances and leading to the partnership being re-negotiated even before it’s signed!
In the meantime the council has announced further savings will have to be found to bridge a £35 million shortfall by 2011.
UNISON is now having weekly meetings with Chief Officers and consulting on ways of avoiding compulsory redundancies, including external recruitment restrictions, not filling vacancies, redeployment into the new structures and seeking volunteers from across the council. (Although the Council is refusing to adopt this option).
300 job losses should not be acceptable to the council tax payers of Wolverhampton, UNISON will do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, managed
correctly the 300 compulsory redundancies are avoidable.
The City Council has now issued UNISON with a HR1 form (formally a Section 188 Notice) under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
This notification gives official notice that the local authority intends to make up to 300 posts redundant by 31 December 2009.
The local authority has also informed UNISON that it will be January 2009 before they know exactly which posts will go, however, we are aware that the posts will be from the 1700 employees currently working in customer services, finance, human
resources, information technology and procurement.
The first proposed compulsory redundancies will not take place before 1 April 2009.
The job losses are a direct consequence of the partnership for customer efficiency
services (PaCES) and the introduction of new systems by the City Council’s partner Axon.
The City Council believes the partnership will save £60 million over the next ten years, however, it has now become apparent that more money than first realised has to be put into the partnership by the council at an earlier stage, putting further strain on the council’s finances and leading to the partnership being re-negotiated even before it’s signed!
In the meantime the council has announced further savings will have to be found to bridge a £35 million shortfall by 2011.
UNISON is now having weekly meetings with Chief Officers and consulting on ways of avoiding compulsory redundancies, including external recruitment restrictions, not filling vacancies, redeployment into the new structures and seeking volunteers from across the council. (Although the Council is refusing to adopt this option).
300 job losses should not be acceptable to the council tax payers of Wolverhampton, UNISON will do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, managed
correctly the 300 compulsory redundancies are avoidable.
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